The Whole Devil Thing
by imloopy
Summary: Chloe is worried about Lucifer. But a chat with Dr Linda will set her mind at ease. Won't it?


'Chloe! What brings you here?' Linda greeted her friend with a smile. It had been a trying day so far, with two patients who were refusing to face their issues and a third who had cancelled his appointment for the fifth session in a row. A chat with her friend was just what she needed to relax and take her mind off things.

'I was wondering if you had a couple of minutes to spare. I just - I wanted to ask you something. About Lucifer.'

Linda changed her mind. This wasn't going to be a cozy chat after all. 'He's my patient, Chloe. You know I can't discuss his case with you.'

'I'm sorry, I know, but I'm worried about him, and I thought you could give me some advice. On how best to handle him.'

With a deep sigh, Linda indicated the couch. 'Take a seat, Chloe, and tell me what you're worried about. I can't say much, but maybe I can put your mind at rest.'

Chloe perched on the edge of the couch, her hands resting on her knees. She leaned forward, frowning, as though searching for words. 'I guess I'd really like guidance on how to handle him, and the - the claims he makes.'

Linda raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. She found that silence was often the best way to encourage her patients to talk, and although Chloe wasn't her patient, the technique was still useful.

'You know, the whole devil thing - I find that sometimes I'm falling into the trap of almost believing him, and I'm worried that it will damage him somehow if I do.'

'Why do you think it's a trap, to believe him?' She had to handle this carefully. Lucifer's confidentiality had to be respected, and it wasn't her story to tell, but the detective wasn't a fool. Maybe there was another way.

Chloe gazed at the ceiling for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts. 'I know pretty crazy things happen around him, and I've no idea how he does it, but the devil? Really? What damage will it do if I play along with that? I mean, I shot him once because of it.' She blushed.

'Tell me more,' Linda encouraged. 'What sort of crazy things happen around him, would you say?'

'Well, the first case we worked on together, I got shot, and I could have sworn Lucifer got shot too. I saw the guy fire at him, and I can't believe he missed, but Lucifer just kept going like nothing happened.' She looked for reassurance, and Linda nodded for her to continue, careful to keep her face neutral. 'He wasn't hurt when that singer with him was killed, either, and just said it was because he was immortal. He kept on and on about it, and told me to shoot him to prove it.' She looked directly at Linda. 'And so I shot him in the leg. I don't even know what made me do it, but he was so insistent… and then he was bleeding.'

She shifted uncomfortably in the seat. 'And he looked so shocked - as though he had genuinely not expected to be hurt. I felt so bad…'

 _So that must have been when he realized the detective made him vulnerable._ Linda nodded thoughtfully. 'And do you have any other examples?'

'Well, there was that time he threw a guy through a reinforced glass window and across the next room, and he seemed to barely touch him.'

'Uhuh.'

'And there's that weird mojo thing he does, getting people to confess their deepest desire. I have no idea how he does that. And it doesn't affect me, but I can see him doing it to everyone else.'

Linda nodded. 'So his mojo doesn't work on you, and if you shoot him he bleeds, but you've seen others shoot at him with no effect and you've seen his mojo work on others.'

Chloe's eyes widened, and she sat thinking for a minute. 'His brother - Amenadiel - told me that they had a tough childhood. That Lucifer took on this role as a way to deal with that.'

'And is any of that in conflict with what Lucifer himself has told you?'

'Ahhh…' She stopped to think for a minute. 'And Amenadiel told me that Lucifer was wearing a blood pack when Malcolm shot him. That it was all a trick.'

'So Malcolm shot him with a gun loaded with blanks, and the blood was fake?'

'No, Malcolm's gun wasn't…' Chloe's voice trailed off as she thought it all through. 'And I told Lucifer that I had his blood to test and he seemed almost excited at the thought I'd test it and find out the truth about him.'

'And have you ever known Lucifer to lie?' Linda probed gently.

Chloe shook her head. 'He's the most truthful person I've ever known. Even when I wish he would keep quiet, he still blurts it out. And yet he still charms everyone. My mother, for example. And you. I remember when we first met.'

Linda blushed at the memory. It had been so easy to fall for Lucifer. But the better she got to know him, the easier it was to push past the charm he put up as his defense system. 'So let me get this straight.' She leaned forward to make the point clear. 'Lucifer tells you he's really the devil. You've never known him to lie, and you've seen strange things happen around him, things you can't explain. And you're worried about believing him, and what it would do to the state of _his_ mental health?'

Open-mouthed, Chloe seemed lost for words. Eventually, after trying a couple of times to summon words, she managed, 'But it can't be true. Can it?'

'Detective.' Linda used her title deliberately, and spoke slowly and clearly. 'Your job - your life - depends on your judgement. You've seen these things. What does your gut say? What's more likely - that you're completely unable to believe what you've seen in front of you, and what your friend says, or this belief you have that it can't possibly be true?'

The buzzer sounded, and Linda glanced around. 'My next client is here,' she said. 'I'm sorry, Chloe, but all I can tell you is that it will do Lucifer no harm if you believe what he tells you. And I suggest that if you're really worried about whether to believe him or not, then you ask him directly.'

She stood up, and held the door open. 'Just make sure you're prepared to deal with the truth. For both your sakes.'


End file.
